subject: Make Sure Your Mobile App Shares Important Information [print this page] We have developed a mobile app for iPhone and Android that acts as a valet service for all your social network transactions. It allows you to share a photo, a thought, or a link through Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, or Instagram. You also have the option of sharing it to only your close friends youve connected with the app. Like most social-minded apps, it can scan your address book and find connected friends.
Recently, this app automatically uploaded peoples address book to its servers, without declaring the same. That behavior was spotted and the app team quickly apologized in a blog post. They wiped all the data collected, and sent out an iOS update that now asks users to opt in or out of having their address book sent over for analysis and friend-finding.
The thing is, if there is any such feature thats related to a users privacy, the mobile application development company must clarify it before. iPhone and iPad apps are submitted and downloaded through Apples App Store, where everything is checked. However, Android apps are submitted much freely. No matter what, the app should make it clear when youre installing the app that it has access to location, the camera, your contacts, and so on.
Now days, mobile apps quickly gets signed in, starts up, and gets to the first screen where people can get started. This is the reason why signing in via Facebook or Twitter or a Google account have become almost a default option.
But is advisable to be honest about what you are doing. Say what user information you will access in a crisp and clear manner with drop downs and cute stick figure illustrations. Just write to the person with the phone, Can we grab a copy of your address book to check for other app friends? Only our server programs access your contact book and well delete it after 90 days. Or seek permission if the app can send your photos to their servers for compression before sharing them.
Remember, youre selling your app to people and thus maintain complete transparency. If you cant share the true information face to face with them, youre not really selling, youre marketing. So, if you are hiring mobile application development companies in India or anywhere else, make sure that they develop it in such a way that the app maintains full transparency with its users.
